White Flag
by varietyofwords
Summary: She won’t wave a white flag in his face. She won’t surrender to how she should logically feel. She’s in love and always will be in love with him. HGSS
1. Chapter 1: Broken

Title: White Flag

Chapter Title: Broken

Disclaimer: Everything you recognized belongs to the brilliant J.K. Rowling

Summery: She won't wave a white flag in his face. She won't surrender to how she should logically feel. She's in love and always will be in love with him. HGSS

Rated: M for some choice words and situations

Author's Note: Loosely based upon the words of the song 'White Flag' by Dido. The story was actually started before I heard the song but I must give her the credit her song deserves. This story is not HBP compatible seeing how I have not read it yet. (I drew last place in who gets to read it within my family.) Reviews are appreciated. Enjoy.

"_What's going on?" Clothes are scattered about the room and he's bent over the large suitcase on top of the bed. He ignores her and heads to the dresser on the opposite side of the room and pulls out his clothes. He heads back to the bed and tucks them neatly inside the suitcase. "Where are you going?"_

"_Away." He says coldly and continues to throw everything in. _

"_Why?" She says frantically. The child within her kicks sharply and she gasps slightly but he doesn't care._

"_I'm leaving." _

"_But why?" He shuts the suitcase with a thump and pulls it off the bed. He makes his to the door and she steps in to block his way._

"_Severus, please don't do this." She says desperately._

"_Hermione, step aside." She shakes her head no._

"_Why are you doing this?"_

"_Hermione MOVE!" His voice roars and she's taken aback. He hasn't talk to her like that since…she can't even remember but she steps aside and he's slides through the door. His body brushes against her protruding belly and their baby kicks in response. He walks quickly down the hallway towards the stairs and she attempts to go after him but the extra weight causes her to be slower than normal._

"_Severus…" She bits her lip and attempts to keep the tears back. "Severus, please." She reaches out and grips his arm but he shrugs her off. She can't keep the tears back any long as he keeps on walking. _

She awakes with a gasp and sits upright in bed. Perspiration drips from her forehead and the bedding is in disarray on top of the bed. Sunlight shines through the curtains and she rubs her eyes. The layer of sleep is broken and she stifles a yawn. It was only a nightmare, a nightmare that has been her life for the past two months. There is a small knock at the door and a small head appears once the door is slightly open.

"M..mistress…S..s…snape, breakfast...is...s..s..s..served." The small creature says as she enters the room.

"Thank you Matilda." The house elf bobs and exits the room. She stares around the room and then slides out of the large and extravagant bed. Her red nightgown slides down to its correct length and shows off her eight months pregnant belly. She picks her robe off of the bench at the end of the bed and wraps it loosely around herself. She slowly makes her way out of the room and down the staircase towards the dinning room.

"Good morning Harry. Good morning Ron." She says when she spots her two friends sitting at the long table enjoying the breakfast laid out in front of them.

"Morning Hermione." Harry says before taking another bite of his eggs.

"Morn'ng 'Moine. Hinny fed two fell ou hat se's oming morrow." Ron says with his mouth full of food as she takes her seat at the head of the table.

"Ron…" He swallows and starts all over.

"Ginny said to tell you that she's coming tomorrow." He shoves another biscuit in his mouth.

"We're just about done with the nursery. I figure we'll have it done by ten o'clock today. And then I have to get home." Harry informs her.

"Do you really?" She hates staying in this house all by herself, not that she would ever tell anyone that.

"Yeah, somebody has to watch the kids while Ginny's here." She sighed knowing he was correct and she couldn't help but feel bad for taking Harry away from Isobel and James for the two weeks he's been here. And Ginny will be here until a week after she's given birth.

"I'll need to head out too. Karleigh's getting sick of my mum. Says she needs somebody to defend her and Jenica. Not that a two year old needs defending." Another's child whose father she's been keeping from them.

"Well, thank you so much for doing the nursery." She says whole heartily as she stirs her eggs around her plate.

"Anything for our niece." Harry tells her as he pushes back his chair. "Come on Ron." The two leave the room and she pushes her plate away from her. She's not hungry.

"Thanks Matilda." She tells the elf as she finishes tying her shoe for her. The house elf doesn't say a word as she finishes and before Hermione knows it she's gone. She slides of the bed and both feet hit the ground with a thump. Her new elephant-like qualities were not something she was found of at all. She straightened out her red top that came over her belly and hung outward and checked her straightened hair in the mirror. She wasn't sure who she was looking to impress. Harry and Ron had long gone home and it was just her and the house elves. And that had already become accustomed to her usual black sweat pants and oversized t-shirts. There was just nobody to get dressed up for but today she needed a change.

Today was a day she was not going to cry herself to sleep or pull out their wedding photo, the only picture in which he was smiling a genuine smile. She was not going to crack today. In a months time she would have a baby that had a good change of looking like him so she needed to start practicing. She was not going to cry when she saw her baby because she looked like her father. She couldn't help that.

She sighed and heads out of her room. She strolls down the hallway and lingers at the door of the nursery. She hasn't seen it yet, Ron and Harry made sure of that. She gingerly reaches out and touches the doorknob.

"No, I don't need an appointment. Hermione is expecting me." Ginny.

She forgets about the nursery and walks quickly to the staircase. She spits a red-headed woman arguing with Matilda and Paddy.

"Ginny?"

"Hermione!" She screams and drops her bags. She bounds up the stairs and wraps her arms around the expecting woman. "Look at you. You look…."

"Pregnant." She says smiling as she gives the younger the correct word to use.

"I was going to say round but that works. It's so good to see you. I missed you so much. What with us living in the Burrow and you living here at the manor, we never got to see you. The kids miss you too. I promised Isobel she could come see her cousin. And James is already to meet his future wife. I can't wait to see this nursery that my husband and brother have been working on." She said as quickly as possible.

"I thought you weren't going till tomorrow."

"I wasn't but I wanted to see you so bad. Now let's go look at that nursery. Harry said they left all the decoration up to us to do. Oh, and I brought all of Isobel's old baby clothes and Karleigh sent some stuff of Jenica's too but since Ron and her are hoping to have more children….Oh listen to me. I'm babbling."

"It's okay Ginny. The nursery is right this way." The two friends made there way to the door that Hermione was once lingering at. Ginny opened the door and Hermione stepped in and started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Ginny asked her.

"It's violet." The walls were painted a soft violet color and the mural that surrounded the entire room was a garden with plenty of flowers and butterflies.

"And? It's gorgeous! I didn't know Ron and Harry had this talent."

"I know it's gorgeous but I had casually mentioned that I was considering naming her Violet Elisabeth."

"Well I guess that's her name because Ron and Harry put up Violet on the wall."

"What?" She looked over to where her friend was pointing and stifled another laugh. Sure enough Violet had been hung up in big block letters above the crib. "Well, I'm sure your tired Ginny. Why don't I show you to your room?"

"Hermione, I have two kids. I don't get tired. Besides I came to help you, not for some rest and relation from my kids. Oh, I hope you don't mind but my mother wants to come help you out after the baby comes."

"Well, my mother's coming a week before my due date, and Karleigh is coming next week. So the more the merrier. As long as everybody is gone a week after she's born. I want to do this on my own. Come on, I'm hungry." She heads to the door but Ginny stays were she is.

"Hermione, have you heard anything from him?" She closes her eyes and speaks softly.

"No."

"Do you know were he is?"

"Hogwarts."

"Then why won't you go see him?"

"Ginny...Let's have some lunch before we start setting up." She exits the rooms and wipes away the tears she thought Ginny hadn't seen.

"Hermione, he still loves you." As soon as those words flew out of Ginny's mouth she knew it was a mistake for something in Hermione snapped.

"How do _you_ know that?" She shrieks, her voice gaining another octave as she speaks. "He made his decision a long time ago! He doesn't want me or Violet and we don't want him! He walked out on us, remember?"

Meekly the red head nods her head and Hermione storms down the hallway. The anger of the situation causes her blood to boil and the fact that Ginny would even suggest that he still loves her makes her body burn with hatred.

Her feet pound into the hard dirt as she hurries across the gardens of the manor. She has no idea where she's going but she knows she needs to get away from that house. There are just too many memories; their wedding portrait that depicts one of the happiest days in her life in full _moving_ color, the hallway of Snape heirs that contains a portrait of a man who's name is no longer allowed to be said by the house elves within her hearing range, her own bedroom where she lost her virginity to him, his potion room where she told him to stop brewing her birth control tonic…the list goes on and on. And there is no way to escape them, for everywhere she turns another memory becomes clearer.

She sighs as she takes a seat on the hard, stone bench. She is supposed to be the brightest witch of her time, so how in the world did she end up here heart broken and pregnant?


	2. Chapter 2: Ploy

Title: White Flag

Chapter Title: Ploy

Disclaimer: Everything you recognized belongs to the brilliant J.K. Rowling

Summery: She won't wave a white flag in his face. She won't surrender to how she should logically feel. She's in love and always will be in love with him. HGSS

Rated: M for some choice words and situations

Author's Note: Sorry this one it so short. I'm finding it harder to write from Snape than it is to write for Hermione. Reviews are appreciated. Enjoy!

The light from the rising sun streams through the windows opposite of where he lays and his eyes flicker open. He knows immediately where he is, for at Hogwarts his dungeon bedroom receives no sunlight. The crisp air fills the room and nips at his toes whispering a fact he figured out long before his eyes opened. He's at Abigail's house…_naked_.

This is nothing new to him because he has found himself visiting her more and more. Abigail Cantrail doesn't remind him of…_his wife_. She has straight blond hair and bright blue eyes. She hates to read and is quite dumb, a stark contrast to his own brilliant wife. But she is available when he needs her and that is all that he cares about. He sits up and sighs as he runs his hand through his limp, black hair.

"Are you leaving Severus?" Abigail calls from her fetal position besides him. He doesn't answer with words but grunts and grabs his wand from besides the bed. With a simple incantation his clothes pounce on him and he heads towards her fireplace. Judging by the position of the sun he's already missed breakfast but if he hurries his first class will be arriving right as he does. Perfect. Now he won't have to deal with Albus or another professor. They all claim to be looking out in his best interest but what happened Hermione and him concerns only them and maybe _their_ daughter. He still can't believe her ever let her talk him into impregnating her. At forty-one his almost twice her age. He's wife is twenty-two. What was he thinking?

It certainty wasn't sex. Hermione was very forceful about her decision to remain a virgin until she was married. And that rules out the possibility of her being pregnant. All he knows is that when he's with her he feels like his on top of the world. Ironic how a bushy-haired know-it-all has…had that affect on him. He always knew that this wouldn't work.

Only, she refuses to admit it. He had expected to be served with divorce papers within a week of leaving her. He understood that it was quite common in the Muggle world and although they were frowned upon by the Ministry, leaving a pregnant wife could cause some ministers to waver with their positions on the topic. But she has refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing he has hurt her and is now free of her. A part of him expected it. It is so Hermione like.

Sometimes he wonders how his child is doing. Already his daughter is stuck in between and the baby has yet to be born yet. Of course, he has no way of knowing that but he's sure Dumbledore and McGonagall would inform him such an event. He doesn't doubt that Hermione would make a great mother but she tends to favor…unusual names. The last time he had spoken to her about baby names, about three months ago, she spoke of wanting to name their daughter Hazel or Kendaleigha. He isn't even sure how to _pronounce_ Kendaleigha. A fight had occurred. A fight _always_ occurred. Screaming was something they did best and they practiced a lot. A marriage between two stubborn people would always insure fighting. And at times that fighting would become too much. He would leave the house before he did something he would later regret.

The slamming of books and laughter broke his trance and he gazed around the room. He is safely back at Hogwarts and is standing in the fireplace. With a traditional scowl, he steps out and heads towards the door to his classroom. Thinking about Hermione could wait. He has first years to teach.

The only sound that can be heard is the etching of quail pens against parchment paper. His seventh years are busy writing their potion reports and he sits at his desk 'supervising'. This is his final class of the day and he is yearning to escape with a bottle of Firewhiskey before dinner. He reaches out and grabs other stack of essays written by first year Hufflepuff and Ravenclaws. But instead feels the hard peck of an owl's beck upon his hand. He draws it back quickly before blood can be drawn and peers at the animal. He recognizes it immediately as Woodworm, the head messenger owl at Snape Manor. He picks up the message from beside the bird and reads the handwriting on the front.

_Professor Severus Snape_

_Potion Classroom_

_Dungeons_

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

Unable to conclude who it is, he gingerly breaks the seal.

_Severus,_

_Hermione is in labor. Come quickly. No need to owl back._

_Your mother-in-law,_

_Jane Granger_

He drops the letter onto his desk and contemplates the true meaning. Hermione could be in labor or it could be a desperate ploy to get him to come back to the manor. Unsure of what to think of the situation he returns his attention back to his students. If she truly is in labor it isn't going to happen very quickly and his arrival can wait until his class is over. And if it is a ploy to get him to come back to her, he is saving himself from having to hurt her once more. He glances at the clock above the doors to his classroom.

"You have three more minutes. Late papers will not be accepted and unfinished papers will not be tolerated." The etching becomes faster as the students scramble to finish on time and he gets a slight amusement out of it. He glances at the letter once more before rising from his chair.

Is it a desperate play to get him to come back or is the impending arrival of his daughter actually upon them?


	3. Chapter 3: Duty

Title: White Flag

Chapter Title: Duty

Disclaimer: Everything you recognized belongs to the brilliant J.K. Rowling

Summery: She won't wave a white flag in his face. She won't surrender to how she should logically feel. She's in love and always will be in love with him. HGSS

Rated: M for some choice words and situations

Author's Note: I know two updates in two days has spoiled you but please remember that I go to school full time and I have two hour practices on Mondays and Thursdays. So bear with me. There might be a short until the next chapter. But it's not over yet. Enjoy.

"Ow!" She screams for the hundredth time as she slams her head back against the pillows. Sweat drips from her face and falls onto her clinging nightgown and stringy hair. Her contraction subsides and she opens her eyes to gaze about the room. She can see Ron's wife Karleigh, Ginny, Mrs. Weasley…Molly, and the Mediwitch Madame Sitzman. Unable to find her mother she glances about with a petrified expression. Seeing the look upon her patient's face Madame Sitzman spoke.

"Do not stress Mrs. Snape. Your mother stepped out to ask about the whereabouts of Professor Snape." Mrs. Snape. Nobody had dared to call her that in a long time but it is her name, even if some people fail to recognize it. Another contraction rips through her body and she screams in response. Her mother comes rushing through the double doors and instead of running to her daughter she rushes over to where Molly stands in the corner of the room. Hermione watches them with great interest and they glance in her direction as they talk.

"Ginny, what is going on?" She asks her friend.

"I have no clue, Hermione." She says sincerely and wipes away the sweat on Hermione's brow with a rag. Unsatisfied with her response, Hermione turns away and looks at her mother.

"Mom what is going on? Is…is he coming?" Her mother gives her a small smile before telling Hermione the news she was dreading.

"Hermione honey, we can't find him. Harry and Ron are out looking for him." She says as gently as she can but Hermione still gets angered.

"That's asshole. I knew he would do this to me. If he doesn't want anything to do with me, fine! But he will _not_ turn his back on his daughter. She…Agh!" Another contraction stops her from speaking and she tries to breath through it.

"Mrs. Snape…I need to see how far along you are." Madame Sitzman says quietly and everyone springs into action to pull Hermione's legs apart. Her head drops backwards and her heavy breathing slows down. "Ten centimeters. It's time to push, Mrs. Snape. Ready? Go." She clasps her mother's hand and Ginny starts to count for her.

"One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten."

"Good Mrs. Snape. Now relax." The Mediwitch says as soon as Ginny stops counting.

"And again."

"One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten."

"Make it stop Mommy. It hurts too much." She begs of her mother after the contraction she was 'riding out' subsides. She wants this to stop right now. If she had known this ten months ago when she had told Severus she had wanted to try for a baby, she would not be where she is right now.

"One more time Mrs. Snape." She grits her teeth together and pushes with all her might. And suddenly she can feel something slide between her legs and she tries to lift herself up to see. There in the Mediwitch's arms is a squirming blob of pink, grey, and red. Nothing like what a baby is expected to look like but already she loves it. Whatever _it_ is.

The Mediwitch deposits the ball on to Hermione's belly and attempts to wipe some of the gunk off with a clean towel. Tears start to flow from her eyes when the ball of gunk gives a loud, resilient cry. The women around her scream and coo over the ball exclaiming how beautiful she is. To be completely sure Hermione checks the bottom half before she announces the baby's name to the Mediwitch so she can drawl up the official documents.

"Her name is Violet Renee Snape."

"No daughter of mine will be named _Violet_." She knows that voice. She can recognize it anywhere and her head snaps up to find the owner of the voice. There he stands in front of her and her daughter. She would later realize the exact way she 'greeted' him, her legs spread and pulled apart exposing _everything_ to him. Her eyes lock with him and she gives him a look of utter dissatisfaction. He in turn gives her a look of complete disdain. Wither it is for how she greeted him or of her decision on their daughter's name she is not sure but right now she feels more hatred and love than she ever though possible.

Here he stands with the nerve to criticize her decision after walking out on her. But he did come even if he missed most of the birth. But the criticism outranks his 'good dead' and she chooses to reprimand him.

"Her name is Violet!" She spits out and unconsciously pulls her baby closer to her. The five women stand among them do not say a word. They know better and instead choose to back away from the bed in order to give them their space. But Severus Snape does not move and instead chooses to remain where he is even if he cannot see his daughter.

"Madame," he cries to the Mediwitch, "her name is Eileen Catherine Snape." The Mediwitch looks about in a state of confusion. Unsure of who to believe she doesn't write down any name. "Madame, shouldn't you be writing?" He asks her harshly.

"Her name is Violet." The baby whimpers in response and Hermione tightens her clasp on the innocent baby. She watches Severus' chest rise and fall with anger.

"Eileen."

"Violet." Neither of them is going to give up and allow the other to name their child. Eileen or Violet? This is something their baby is going to have to live with for the rest of her life.

"I kind of like Violet Eileen Snape." Mrs. Granger suggest from her spot besides Hermione. They both look at her and then to one another. Without saying a word to each another, they both look at Madame Sitzman and give their silent consent. The Mediwitch scribbles it down quickly and the parchment dissolves in her hands. Now her name is forever Violet Eileen Snape.

Severus turns on his heels and starts to leave the room. But Mrs. Granger and Mrs. Weasley's protests cause him to pause and they step in front of him.

"We are not letting you walk out of my daughter's life again, Severus." His mother-in-law spits out. "You are a father and you will be one to my granddaughter. And you will be a husband to my daughter."

"I have done my duty Madame. I came for my daughter's birth and I helped to name her. There is nothing more me for to do." And with that he departs back to his dungeon home.

His duty was fulfilled and there is no more need for him, right?


	4. Chapter 4: Drunk

Title: White Flag

Chapter Title: Drunk

Disclaimer: Everything you recognized belongs to the brilliant J.K. Rowling

Summery: She won't wave a white flag in his face. She won't surrender to how she should logically feel. She's in love and always will be in love with him. HGSS

Rated: M for some choice words and situations

Author's Note: Thank you for the fabulous reviews. Some of you had questions but they will all be answered in good time, my dears. All in good time. I'm hoping the next chapter will be finished by Thursday night and posted on Friday but there's no way to know for sure. As always, enjoy! And reviews are always appreciated. Happy Valentine's Day!

The Firewhiskey burns as it runs down his esophagus and he closes his eyes in response to the sensation. How many has that been? One? Two? Three? Four? _Ten?_

He takes another sip of the fiery substance before dropping it on the table besides him. Violet Eileen Snape. _Violet._ How could he have ever agreed to such a horrible name? Eileen Catherine Snape would have been so much better. Then it dons on him. All that time he stood there and not once did he look at his only child. Disgusted with himself, he takes another drink of the vial tonic.

His whole body aches and throbs. He had told Abigail to expect him tonight but he is in no mood to fulfill his manly urges, having seen Hermione and all. When his with Abigail he can show all thoughts of her to the back of his head and enjoy himself but after seeing her tonight in _that_ position with their baby clutched to her breasts, he's not so sure. Still, he can't believe he missed his own daughter's birth.

It wasn't a ploy. He should have known better. Hermione would _never_ stoop so low as to tell him she was in labor just to get him to come 'home'. It wasn't her kind of thing. Honesty was her _only _policy. But it isn't his. That's for damn sure. Double-dealing? Lying? Cheating? Two-facing? All in a day's _work_. With one last swig he finishes off his last bottle of Firewhiskey and drops it into the trash can besides him.

He's been sitting here for over three hours, drinking away every minute of it. The chimes start and the clock strikes twelve. He missed dinner, patrols, and detentions. Although scaring Mr. Kingsley is _quite_ fun, for Mr. Kingsley is quite possibly the next Mr. Longbottom, he called off the detention without informing the detente. His stomach rumbles of hunger and disdain for liquor but he ignores its desperate plea for nourishment. He can almost hear Hermione. "Don't you _realize_ what you are doing to your liver?" Don't you _realize_ that I don't love you?

No. That's wrong. Don't you realize that I _disdain_ you? He will probably always love her. Just like he loves his mother and his first love, Lily Evens. Potter's _wife_.

He shakes the image from his head and rises from his leather chair. His head spins and he staggers over to his bed. He collapses onto the bed and a drunken sleep over comes him. This is the only way he can actually live with himself at night. _Drunk_.

A piece of paper hits the small of his back, waking him from his drunken and restless sleep. He grabs the paper and opens the envelope to see what it is about. It's probably Dumbledore telling him, he's fired. He squints as the reads the cursive print,

_Professor and Mrs. Severus Snape are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, _

_Violet Eileen Snape_

_Thursday, April 6th at 9:56 p.m._

_Seven pounds, Eight ounces_

Hermione wasted no time in letting the world know of their child's birth. Disgusted, he picks the paper up and holds it over the trash can. His fingers are a bout to let go when the picture besides the announcement moves and for the first time, he can see his daughter's face. He pulls it back to him and gazes at the small child. She has his eyes and his hair but she has Hermione's delicate features. Just the way he _wanted_ it.

The boys will be knocking at his door in no time. No, they won't. His poor daughter is stuck with him as a father. She has _his_ eyes, _his_ hair, and _his_ last name. Deep down he knows that doesn't constitute as a father. What was it Hermione once told him when he spoke of his own father? Any male can be a father but it takes a _man_ to be a dad.

The door knob to his bed chamber jiggles and he grabs his wand just in case. The door swings open and there stands Minerva.

"Glad to see you're awake, Severus. Your students missed you in class today. Was the Firewhiskey to your liking?" He groans inwardly at the thought of missing classes and Minerva knowing way.

"Can I help you Professor McGonagall?" He spits out as he turns around on top of his bed. His clothes from the previous day are winkled and reek of stale liquor.

"I just wanted to tell you congratulations on Violet's arrival. Will you be taking time off?" She asks him smugly. She knows that he and Hermione are, well, apart at the moment.

"No. Now if you will excuse me. I need to get dressed in fresh clothes."

"Very well. You can thank Hagrid for covering your classes after you are clothed."

"You let that dimwit cover _my _classes?" He roars but she dismisses his comment completely and shuts the door. He drops his wand on the bedside table as he gets off of his bed. The covers are in complete disarray like his clothes and he heads towards his bathroom to try and get the stench of alcohol off of him. Wouldn't want the precious students to know that their potions professor could technically be classified as an alcoholic. Dumbledore would not be too please with him.

The refreshing water cascades over him as he contemplates his role in Violet's life. When she starts her schooling at Hogwarts he will be her potions professor but in the meantime? But for now she is in the competent hands of a Mrs. Hermione Granger Snape. There is no need for him right now. What could he even do?


End file.
